Amid the party, the music and the colourful decorations of Huasca de Ocampo (State of Hidalgo), the smiles of Elhousine Elazzaoui (Morocco – NNormal) and Lauren Gregory (USA – Nike) crossed the finish line to the sound of rancheras, rounding off a festive weekend in which Mexico embraced the Golden Trail World Series (GTWS) at Tepec Trail. The sixth stop of the 2025 season brought magic, warmth and the hospitality of the Mexican people, an experience the athletes will hardly forget.

WOMEN’S RACE

It all looked set for another head-to-head between Madalina Florea (Romania – Scott Running) and Joyce Njeru (Kenya – NNormal). The two led the race up to kilometre 8 with a 45-second gap over Gregory. It was Florea who pulled ahead at kilometre 11, opening up more than 30 seconds on Njeru and 45 on Gregory. However, by the next checkpoint (25.8 km), the race had turned on its head: Njeru and Gregory were running together with more than an eight-minute lead over Madalina. “It wasn’t my day; I fell twice and the second time I even lost consciousness for a moment,” explained the Romanian at the finish line.

It all came down to a duel between Gregory and Njeru. The final climb proved too much for the Kenyan, giving the American the chance to claw back time on the ascent and, with a blistering downhill, she crossed the line in 3:26:28, nearly five minutes faster than Njeru and over 20 minutes ahead of Florea. The podium was completed by Carmen Trinidad Ramiro (Mexico) and Courtney Coppinger (USA – Brooks).

“I ran a really steady race, I think I paced myself well. The terrain was very technical, which I love. It’s my kind of ground, loose, muddy and steep. I’m really happy with that final climb, it was tough but I’m proud I caught Joyce and still had legs to push to the finish,” said Gregory at the line.

MEN’S RACE

The men’s race began tightly contested, at least up to kilometre 8, where Philemon Kiriago (Kenya – Run2gether On Trail) opened up a slight gap of 45 seconds over a compact group that included Patrick Kipngeno (Kenya – Run2gether On Trail), Elazzaoui, Miguel Ángel Pérez (Mexico – Salomon) and Roberto Delorenzi (Switzerland – Brooks).

However, by kilometre 11 the usual pattern of this season repeated itself: a trio formed by Elazzaoui, Kiriago and Kipngenorunning together at the front. The lead group stayed intact until kilometre 31. From there to the finish, it was Elazzaoui and Kipngeno who battled for the win, with the Moroccan once again coming out on top, securing his third consecutive victory this season, after his triumphs at Zegama – Aizkorri and Broken Arrow Skyrace.

“Today’s race was a big adventure. I’m really happy to have won here in Mexico. There were so many fans, the crowd was so warm and welcoming, and this win is a really big achievement for me. Once again, I had to fight with Philemon and Patrick, they’re really strong rivals, we spent almost the whole race together and the course was really fast,” said Elazzaoui at the finish line.

WOMEN’S TOP 10

  1. Lauren Gregory (USA – Nike Trail) – 3:26:28
  2. Joyce Njeru (Kenya – NNormal) – 3:31:10
  3. Madalina Florea (Romania – Scott Running) – 3:47:12
  4. Carmen Trinidad Ramiro (Mexico) – 3:52:38
  5. Courtney Coppinger (USA – Brooks) – 3:53:36
  6. Reyna Isela Rivera (Mexico – Adidas Terrex) – 3:54:27
  7. Josefina Pérez (Mexico – Salomon) – 3:57:25
  8. Sarah Carter (Mexico – Team Topo) – 4:03:07
  9. Rachel Tomajczyk (USA – Merrell) – 4:24:19
  10. Silvia Hernández (Mexico) – 4:36:39

MEN’S TOP 10

  1. Elhousine Elazzaoui (Morocco – NNormal) – 3:00:01
  2. Patrick Kipngeno (Kenya – Run2gether On Trail) – 3:00:11
  3. Philemon Kiriago (Kenya – Run2gether On Trail) – 3:00:23
  4. Roberto Delorenzi (Switzerland – Brooks) – 3:14:07
  5. Eder Belmont (Mexico – Salomon) – 3:23:17
  6. Miguel Ángel Pérez (Mexico – Salomon) – 3:25:48
  7. Nicholas Turco (USA – Run Boulder Athletic Club) – 3:26:05
  8. Anders Kjrevik (Norway – VJ & Saysky) – 3:27:49
  9. Juan Belman (Mexico – La Sportiva) – 3:28:36
  10. Juan Carlos Carera (Mexico – Buff) – 3:31:51

NEXT STOP: GTWS MAKES ITS DEBUT IN AUSTRIA

On August 2nd, the GTWS 2025 heads to its next stop in the Austrian Tyrol. The Pitz Alpine Glacier Trail makes its debut on the calendar with unique trails and mountains rising above 3,000 metres. The series thus returns to Europe for the final two races before the big showdown — the Ledro Sky Trentino Grand Finale — in October.